Structural toy train and the like



Feb. 16, 1932. E RD 1,845,201

STRUCTURAL-TOY TRAIN AND THE LIKE Filed may 3, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Ralph I'Ljhepard ATTORN EY Feb. 16; 1932. Q RD 1,845,201

Filed May 3, 1930 3 Shec's-Sheet 2 Feb. 16, 1932. R. H. SHEPARD a 1,845,201

STRUCTURAL TOY TRAIN AND THE LIKE F iled May 3, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Ralph H-Shepard BY WORN Patented Pa. 16, 1932 RALPH H. SHEPARD, on BRoNxvInnE 1vnw YORK:

STRUCTURAL To 'TRArN AN DTH E LIKE Application fiieanay a, 1930. sena' jno. 449370. 71

This invention relate'sto improvements instructural toys, and more especially to atoy;

trainwithinterchangeable parts arranged to alterthe typesof cars or locomotives at will.

Ain' object is the provisionof means fans sembling'from standardized parts the'diflerr ent kinds oficars and locomotives of the steam type, and which are well-known in the present day. V 1

Another object-istoprovide such a struc'- tural" toy of standardized parts whichcan be easily assembled by a child or amateur in proper realistic combinations, and. as easily disassembled oralteredJ t All these and other objects assuggested herebelow are attained by the method and means now to be described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through. a central plane, of'a typical toy calf of the-type known as a gondola car; Fig. 1A is an isometric view of'one of the; trucks therefor;

Figs; 2 and 3-are mutilatedisometi'ic views ofends oftypicaP standardized parts'therefor, showing the interlocking jointconstruo tion; Fig. 4, subsA,B, C, D, E,' F, 6,11, 1, -J,K, and-L, are isometric views of each different part which maybe assembled indifferent combinations toform the toy" cars and locomotive shown in theremaini'ng isometric views,in which Fig. 5 is a gondola-car, Fig.

6 is a tender, Fig. 7

a locomotive, Fig. 9 is a caboose, Fig. 10 is a baggage-car, Fig: 11 is a combination passenger and baggage car, F i g; 12 is a postal car, and Fig. 13 is a passenger car; Fig; 14 is a vertical longitudinal section through acentral plane of a modification of the toy locomotive in- 8; Fig. 15*is a horizontal sectionthrough eachplane1'515 of thelocomotiveshown i'n'Fig. 14, and-show ing a typical joint between the several'parts;

Fig. 16 is a verticaltransverse section through plane1'616"of Fig. 14; Fig; 17 is avertical transverse section througlrplanel7-l7 of Fig. 14 Fig; 18is a verticalcentral longitudin'al section of a locomotive having a dif ferent" arrangement of drivingwheels smaller so than those of the locomotive shown in-Fig.

is a tank car, Figl8is 14;"an'd F l9is a vertical transverse sec tion through plane v19 -19of the locomotive shown in Fig. 18. 1

L'ke numerals refer to like partsthroughoutthe several views. The digitsof the ref m erence numerals denotin parts in the two upper rows(subsA' to -,inclusiv.e-) in Fig". 4, are the numbers-of the figures in which thoseparts-appear. Likewise each pairof digits of the reference numeralsdenoting parts inthe bottom row ('subs'I to L,-inclusive) -inFig. 4, are the'nuI-nbers of figures in which those parts appear. Reference numerals denoting the end-joints of these parts indicate the type 'of joint. as follows; The first digit shows whether'it is of the general type of Fig. 2 or of Fig; 3, andthe'following digits indicateinclusion of the lugs shown in' those figures. Giphers in the reference nu-- merals, except when indicating a part of the nulmber of Fig. 1O, are added for uniformity V Each car or locomotive ismade up of-two trucksorlower members 2020,each sup porting one end part similar to one ofth'ose in the second and fourth vertical colu-mns of Fig. '41 Between these end parts, joining them,- and likewise supported by trucks 20 20 is a iniddle' part'similar'to one'of those in the; first and third vertical columns of Fig. 4. 'Thus'the gondola car shown in -Figi 1' is composed-of two trucks 20-20 supportingrtwoend'parts 5656 and the connecting center part 50. This'car is shown also in an isometric'complete view of Fig. 5.

Trucks 20 are joined to the end parts by j V T-sectional head'sat the." tops of the former sliding into correspondingly shaped hori-. Zontal slots 200 in the bottoms ofthe latter. I The joints joining the center and endparts are vertically slidable on one another and are of thegeneralform shown in Figs. 2 and 8. The-Fig; 2' type may include lugs-"or bosses4-o15 or 4 and 5, which would mate k prop'crlywith a similar joint; or 4,5 and or4, 5, 6 and' -7; or these lugs; may all be omitted.'- fartsin the twojupper horizontal rowsof Fig; 4'1=have endjoints-ofthe general yp hown in Fi g g Th g; 3 typeof I joint may include lugs or bosses'8 and/or 9, m8

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or neither. With either one it would mate properly with a similar joint. Parts in the bottom .horizontal row of Fig.4 have the Fig. 3 type end joints.

The type of end joint in eachcase is selected to permit joining of proper parts and to prevent j oining of improper parts. Thus part may be joined with part 56 because joint 20000 will mate properly with joint 24560, and part 67 may be joined with part 78 because joint 25000 will mate withjoint 24500 or joint 24560. Part 56 cannot be joined to part 78, however, because joint 24560 will not mate with joint 24500 (since lug 6 of the former will interfere with lug '4 ofthe latter) nor with joint124560 (for the same reason and since, conversely, lug4 of the first will interfere with lug 6 of the last). Nor can part 50 be properly joined to part 67 because j oint 20000 will not mate properly with joint 25000 (since there is too' great clearance between lug 5 of the former and the lugless hook of the latter).

Similarly, each other part can be joined with only the proper parts.

. Somefend parts can be joined to either end of certain center parts, while other end parts, such as or 98 can each be joined .to only its one respective end of the proper center part, such as 78. No-provision is necessary to either allow or prevent joining of any center part with any other center part, nor of any end part with any other end .part, since such joining is obviously improper.

.The shapes of the parts, and particularly the construction of the joints shown in the drawings, are selected for purposes of illustration only, and the invention is not limited thereto. Many modifications will present themselves to those skilled in the art. For example, the joints may be all of one type, or be interchangeable. Likewise the combining of more or less than five separate parts as described previously to form one car or locomotive is but amodification. For instance,

the toy locomotive shown in Fig. 14 is a modification of that shown in Fig. 8, but it includes 13 parts, of which only two parts, 21

' and 22, correspond to the upper parts 78,

80 and 98, while five parts, 23,724,. 25, 26 and 27 correspondto the trucks 20-20 of Fig. 8.

The locomotive, Fig. 14, has six other parts in addition to those mentioned.

Like the upper parts, the lower parts 23 to 27 inclusive, in Fig. 14, are joined together by'vertically-slidable joints of the general form shown in Fig. 15, or of the modifications shown in Figs. 2 and: 3. The lower parts are joined to the upper parts 21 and 22,

Fig. 14, by suitably-shaped top portions of the former parts slidably fitted into aligned horizontal T slots in the bottoms of the latter parts, as shown in the transverse section Fig. 16. In this respect Fig. 14 resembles the previous figures. Boiler top mountings .30,

31, and 32 are likewise joined to parts 21 and 22 by suitably-shaped heads slidably fitted into aligned horizontal T slots in the latter parts. 7

Longitudinal movement of the group of parts 23 to 27 inclusive with respect to the upper parts 21 and 22 is prevented by a pin 33, whose headforms the smoke stack, projecting down through an upper part 22 and a portion of alower part 27 beneath it. Relative vertical movement between two adjoining lower parts, such as 23 and 24 is prevented by the T-heads of both fitting into the corresponding slot in the bottom of a common upper part 21. Likewise relative vertical movement between two adjoining upper parts 21 and 22 is prevented by, the T-shaped slots in the bottoms of both fittingaround the,

T-head of a common lower part such as 25 and/or by the T-shaped slots in the tops of both upper parts fitting around the T-head of a common boiler top mounting such as part 30.

Part 29 represents the cylinders andvalve chests ofthe locomotive and is of U-form as shown in the transverse section, Fig. 17. Its heightrelative to the rest of the assembly is determined by the shape of thetongue at the front of a lower part such as 27, whose sides fit into grooves in part 29 as shown.

In the case of a toy passenger high wheel locomotive, Figs. 14, 16, and 17, the tongue has a quadrilateral cross section as shown in Fig. 17. In the case of a toy freight locomotive, or low wheeler., however, part 29 is located correspondingly lower'by the different shape of the tongue at the front of a piece similar to part 35, Figs. 18- and 19. Most of the tongue is made thicker, while lugs on each side near the bottom of it fit into the grooves in part 29. All other parts of the toy locomotive are maintained at the same height, including the pilot, part 28, whose tongue fits between tongue 35 or 27 and the upper part 22. Pin 33 passes through all of these parts, preventing relative lateral movement of any of them. 7 g V To those skilled in the art it will be obvious that parts of the device may be used without other parts thereof, and steps in the method attheir ends, said slidableoints being continuous through both sides of said parts to permit the parts to be held together at various relative vertical positions.

2. In combination with the main supporting lower parts of a knock-down toy locomotive, means for supporting the upper parts and the pilot at a uniform height above the rails when used with difi'erentheights of cylinders corresponding to different driving wheel diameters, said means including tongues of difi'erent thicknesses forming parts of said lower part, and having lugs on their sides of uniform thickness and adapted to fit into grooves in the cylinders.

3. In a toy of this character, having lower members and a common upper member, means for maintaining fixed relative positions vertically of adjoining lower members, including T-heads on those members adapted to fit into a correspondingly-shaped slot in the bottom of said upper member.

4. In a combined toy car and toy locomotive means for maintaining fixed relative vertical positions of two adjacent upper members, including aligned T-slots in the tops of those members adapted to fit the head of a common boiler top mounting and aligned T- slots in the bottoms of the upper members fitting around the head of a common lower member, said lattermeans being also adapted to maintain fixed relative vertical positions between the two adjacent upper members in said toy railroad car.

Signed at Lakehurst, in county of Ocean and State of New Jersey, this 30th day of April, A. D. 1930.

RALPH H. SHEPARD. 

